Department of Korean Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
Acupunct Med. 2021 Feb;39(1):30-40. doi: 10.1177/0964528420912259. Epub 2020 Apr 17.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acupuncture on obesity-related parameters with regard to metabolomics.
This two-arm parallel, patient- and assessor-blind, sham-controlled randomized clinical trial included 120 obese participants. Participants were randomized into two groups. The treatment group received a combined intervention of manual acupuncture (MA) plus electroacupuncture (EA), while the control group received a combination of sham acupuncture interventions consisting of sham MA plus sham EA for 6 weeks. The serum lipid levels were measured as the primary outcome measure and anthropometric parameters and serum metabolic profiles including amino acids and carnitines were measured as secondary outcome measures.
The serum lipid levels and anthropometric measurements did not significantly differ between groups, while body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference were improved within each group and the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased over time in the treatment group. There were no significant differences in amino acid levels between groups, while certain carnitine (C2, C4, C6, and l-carnitine) levels were significantly increased ( < 0.05) in the treatment group compared to the control group.
In summary, 6 weeks of acupuncture treatment did not affect anthropometric and serum metabolic parameters, with the exception of certain carnitines, when compared to sham acupuncture. The observation of increased carnitine levels in the acupuncture group could result in potential long-term benefits to obese individuals. Additional studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of acupuncture on lipid metabolism and the underlying mechanism of action.
This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02066090).
本研究旨在通过代谢组学研究探讨针灸对肥胖相关参数的影响。
这是一项两臂平行、患者和评估者双盲、假针刺对照的随机临床试验，纳入了 120 名肥胖参与者。参与者被随机分为两组。治疗组接受了手动针刺（MA）加电针（EA）的联合干预，而对照组则接受了假针刺干预的组合，包括假 MA 加假 EA，共进行 6 周。血清脂质水平作为主要观察指标，人体测量参数和血清代谢谱，包括氨基酸和肉碱，作为次要观察指标。
两组间血清脂质水平和人体测量参数无显著差异，而体重、体重指数（BMI）和腰围在各组内均有所改善，且治疗组的高密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平随时间推移而升高。两组间氨基酸水平无显著差异，而某些肉碱（C2、C4、C6 和左旋肉碱）水平在治疗组中较对照组显著升高（<0.05）。
综上所述，与假针刺相比，6 周的针刺治疗除了某些肉碱外，对人体测量和血清代谢参数没有影响。观察到针刺组肉碱水平升高可能对肥胖个体有潜在的长期益处。需要进一步研究来探讨针刺对脂质代谢的长期影响及其作用机制。
本研究在 ClinicalTrials.gov 注册（NCT02066090）。
